This invention relates generally to semiconductor manufacture and packaging. More particularly, this invention relates to improved semiconductor components having conductors with wire bondable metallization layers, to methods for fabricating the components, and to electronic assemblies incorporating the components.
Redistribution circuits are widely used in fabricating semiconductor components such as packages, dice, wafers, interconnects and interposers. Typically, redistribution circuits are used to provide specific electrical paths on a semiconductor component. For example, a semiconductor package can include a single die having bond pads in electrical communication with the integrated circuits contained on the die. Redistribution circuits can be formed on the circuit side of the die to provide electrical paths between the bond pads and terminal contacts for the package.
A typical redistribution circuit includes an insulating polymer layer on the die, and a pattern of redistribution conductors on the insulating layer. Typically, the insulating layer comprises a low dielectric constant polymer material, such as polyimide, benzocyclobutene (BCB) or polybenzoxazole (PBO) The redistribution conductors typically comprise a highly conductive metal such as Al or Cu.
One problem occurs if the redistribution conductors must be wire bonded to contacts on a mating component such as another package, a module substrate or a printed circuit board. Although the redistribution conductors can comprise a wire bondable metal, it is difficult to form reliable wire bonds to the redistribution conductors. In general, wire bonds are affected by the power, duration and force used to form the wire bonds. If insufficient power, duration or force is used, the wire bonds do not bond to the redistribution conductors (i.e., xe2x80x9cno stickxe2x80x9d). The inventor has theorized that this may be due to the resiliency and energy dissipating characteristics of the underlying polymer insulating layer. However, if too much power, duration or force is used to compensate for the affects of the polymer layer, the redistribution conductors and the polymer layer can be damaged (i.e., xe2x80x9ccrateringxe2x80x9d). The process window for wire bonding to the redistribution conductors is thus very small or non-existent.
The present invention is directed to improved components having redistribution conductors with a wire bondable layer formed thereon. This invention also relates to methods for fabricating the components, and to systems incorporating the components.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved semiconductor component, a wafer level method for fabricating the component, and electronic assemblies incorporating the component, are provided.
The component includes a semiconductor die having die contacts, such as bond pads, in electrical communication with integrated circuits thereon. The component also includes a low k polymer layer on the circuit side of the die, and a pattern of conductors and bonding pads on the polymer layer in electrical communication with the die contacts. The conductors are configured to redistribute or fan out the die contacts to the pattern of the bonding pads. The conductors and the bonding pads comprise metal stacks including conductive layers, barrier/adhesion layers, and non-oxidizing layers. The barrier/adhesion layers and the non-oxidizing layers protect the conductors and the bonding pads, and allow wire bonding to the component without damage to the conductors or the bonding pads. In addition, the bonding pads can optionally include terminal contacts such as stud bumps configured for flip chip bonding, or alternately double bump wire bonding to the component.
The component can be used to fabricate any electronic assembly that requires wire bonding to a mating substrate such as a module substrate, a package substrate or a printed circuit board.
The method for fabricating the component includes the step of providing multiple dice on a common substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The method also includes the steps of forming the polymer layer on the substrate, forming the conductors and the bonding pads on the polymer layer, and forming the barrier/adhesion layers and the non-oxidizing layers on the conductors and bonding pads. In the illustrative embodiment the conductors, the barrier/adhesion layers and the non-oxidizing layers are formed using electroless deposition. The method also includes a singulating step in which the components are singulated from the substrate.
An alternate embodiment component comprises an interposer configured to electrically connect semiconductor components to one another, or to supporting substrates.